


A Leopard's Spots, a Tiger's Stripes

by misura



Category: Madness - Shimotsuki Kairi (Manga)
Genre: M/M, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 03:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12548016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: Life on the border.





	A Leopard's Spots, a Tiger's Stripes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hyperical](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyperical/gifts).



Being a border town located some distance from the larger cities, Philistine from time to time suffered the attentions of those attracted by the prospect of a place where law enforcement might be expected to be somewhat lacking in resources.

Now that three former members of Madness had taken up residence, though, the attraction seemed somewhat diminished.

Philistine's good citizens considered this new state of affairs a cause for relief.

Philistine's four newly minted citizens, somewhat less so.

 

Fortunately, there were always a few idiots around.

"But - " one such idiot squeaked, as Miyabi demonstrated her impressive ability to undress a man using nothing but her longsword. "But you're supposed to be _normal_ now!"

Oboro shot him. Not a very impressive shot - anyone with some basic training could have made it.

"You - " said Miyabi.

Oboro grinned. "You're welcome, sis."

"This was my favorite dress! You got blood all over my favorite dress!"

Oboro stopped grinning. "Um," he said.

"I'm going to kill you, you jackass. And when did I ever need your help, anyway? Did I say 'oh, please, Oboro, save poor little me from this scary, scary man I'm about to disembowel'? Did I?"

"But," said Oboro, "if you were going to - "

Miyabi lunged at him.

 

"Oh, those poor people," said Izaya. He looked sad, like any moment now, he might start to cry.

Kyo wanted to reach out and comfort him. Preferably somewhere private. Not that Kyo particularly cared about privacy, but at least if there was no one else around to see, there was some small chance Izaya would allow him to have his way.

No chance of that here and now, with some moron's blood all over him and a couple of smelly corpses lying nearby.

"You should be grateful I was around to save you," he said. "You, and those villagers you care about so much."

Izaya looked at him and smiled a watery smile. "I will never not be grateful to have you around, Kyo-san. I hope you know that."

_Fuck. How am I supposed to just stand here when he says something like that, looking at me the way he does? How can he not know it makes me want to -_

Kyo turned his head. Miyabi was beating up Oboro, yelling something about how she was only a weak, small woman with no means to defend herself.

Izaya came forwards to stand next to him and hugged him. "I only wish we might live our lives in peace. That you would be able to stop killing."

"For you, I would," said Kyo. It was a lie, but it sounded good. With Izaya this close, he might -

Izaya stepped away, and then past him. "Miyabi-san! Please stop that! You're hurting Oboro-san!"

_Fucking cockblockers._

 

"Tsk," said Kyo.

"Why you gotta play so rough, sis?" Oboro asked. "What, you and Fake got into an argument or something? Isn't he able to satisfy - ow."

"I want to kill someone," said Kyo.

Izaya's head shot up. He'd been ministering to Miyabi's wounds, which were 100% superficial, non-life-threatening and had occurred solely as an effect of her fight with Oboro.

"K-Kyo-san!"

"Lots of someones," said Kyo, baring his teeth. It had felt good, to fight. To give in to the rage and let the blood fly. Chip or no chip, he still loved the smell of it, the way it saturated the air.

"Bro!" Oboro said. "We already let you have most of them!"

"They were hungry," Izaya said softly. "Desperate. I wish I could have helped them."

Miyabi put her hand on his. Kyo twitched.

"You couldn't," Miyabi said. "Izaya. They were too far gone. They would have killed everyone in the village. You could have given them half your supplies, half your food, and they still would have attacked you for the rest."

Izaya bent his head. "I know that, Miyabi-san. But it still makes me sad."

Oboro made a gagging sound.

Kyo decided that enough was enough. "Get the fuck away from her and let me do you. If I can't kill anyone else, at least give me that much. We'll even use a bed, if you want to."

Izaya glared at him. "Miyabi-san needs me to attend to her wounds. How can you think about that sort of thing at a time like this?"

Kyo scowled.

Oboro moaned. "Bro. You're so totally whipped. It's sad. I - ouch."

"I'm taking this idiot outside to kill him in peace," Kyo said.

 

"It's good that you're standing up to him," said Miyabi.

"It's - " Izaya blushed. "I don't think of it as standing up to him so much as standing up _for_ him. The Kyo-san I used to know, who was always gentle and kind. These past two years, I've had a lot of time to think about which is the real Kyo-san, and whether or not I can claim to love someone when the truth is that I only love a part of him."

"Killing still comes easily to him," Miyabi said. "It's different for me and Oboro - we kill when we have to, in order to protect what we care about. For Kyo, it's not like that."

"I think - " Izaya blushed again. "I think that's why God made me fall in love with him. So that I would stand by his side and stop him from killing innocent people. Does that sound arrogant of me?"

"God." Miyabi shook her head. "I don't even know that I believe in God. Still, if anyone can keep Kyo in check, it's you. That much, I believe."

 

 _You are always so kind, Miyabi-san. Even when you are only pretending to be injured so that I will have time to sort out my feelings._ Izaya sighed. He knew that he ought to go look for Kyo, or gather some of the villagers to see to it that the dead bandits would receive a proper burial.

Instead, he had sought out a quiet, peaceful place to sit down and rest, and think.

 _Would I have let the gentle, innocent Kyo do_ that _to me?_ Izaya felt his body flush at the memories. He thought that he should be more used to it by now, to think of himself as a person who enjoyed it when another person - _a guy, even_ did ... things to him that he had never imagined anyone doing to him. _I can't help it. Even when it hurts, it feels good, too._

_Even when I tell him to stop, part of me wants him to keep going. I guess that must be why he so rarely listens. He knows that deep down inside, I don't really mean it._

_I should be more honest with him. Otherwise, how can I expect him to listen to me?_

"You shouldn't be out here all alone," Kyo said, sitting down in the grass next to him. "There might still be some bandits around."

Izaya smiled at him. "I'm sure you would keep me safe, Kyo-san."

"If you mean that I'd kill anyone who dared to lay a hand on you, sure." Kyo shrugged. "So what are you doing here? Waiting for me?"

"I waited for you for two years, Kyo-san," Izaya said.

"And?"

"Kyo-san, are you happy?"

Kyo stared at him.

"Really happy?" Izaya pressed. "Living here, in Philistine, with me? I know - I know it can't be anything like the life you were used to, before."

"I'm happy enough when you're not moaning and bitching about every little thing," Kyo said.

"It's not a little thing," said Izaya. "It's - "

Kyo smirked.

Izaya squeaked.

 

"Oh, bro, no." Oboro sobbed. "Look, he doesn't even appreciate it. _I_ would appreciate it!"

Miyabi sighed. She'd suggested they seek out a vantage point, to ensure no more bandits were lurking in the proximity of the village.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. _Damn Kyo, exposing Izaya to danger like that._

"If it bothers you that much, stop watching."

"Are you kidding? This is my chance! Next time it's me by my lonesome, I'll have some prime wanking material. I just wish I had a camera or something."

"Oboro. Stop watching Kyo despoil my sweet Izaya. I swear, I really will kill you. Right after I've killed Kyo."

"Ha. Like that's ever going to happen. C'mon, Miyabi, you - ow."

 

"K-Kyo-san?"

Kyo scowled. "I thought I saw a flash. Like someone was watching us via a pair of binoculars or something."

"Oh." Izaya felt light-headed. Kyo had been - with his mouth. It had been very distracting, and once he'd stopped thinking about how strange it was for a man to put his mouth there, it had felt really, really good. He'd been a little embarrassed at the sounds that had come out of his mouth.

"Probably nothing, though. Let's get back to - "

"Wait," Izaya said quickly. "I - we should do this somewhere safe."

"What are you talking about? You're perfectly safe. I'm here, aren't I? What else do you need to feel safe? Now, just let me get those robes out of the way so we can get on with - "

"No. Don't. I - what if someone really was watching?"

"I'll kill them. _After_ I'm done. Now, stop struggling. You're ruining the mood."


End file.
